| Abstract: | Conclusion That Kosovo exploded with genocidal violence in 1999 and ultimately prompted outside intervention surprised few—it was a long-festering
hotspot but one that fell low on the world politics priority lists, despite the brutal “wars of Yugoslav” succession that
engulfed Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia. But for a relatively small scale conflict in a rather unknown corner of the world, Kosovo’s
crisis of 1998–1999 brought with it a host of complex issues that challenge the international community to this day. As with
any issue or case in the area of genocide studies, attention and understanding must first go to the dramatic human suffering
inflicted upon one group by another. The macro-level political, legal, and ethical discussion and debates swirling about Kosovo
should not and must not obscure the powerful and provocative human element at play. First and foremost, the Kosovo issue revolves
around how best to save lives following an explosion of genocidal violence. Simultaneously, however, Kosovo in 1999 exploded
with ramifications for the future of state sovereignty, the United Nations, and understanding the causes of genocide, nation
building, and humanitarianism in the twenty-first century. |
